


Down upon these stones

by sarahcakes613



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Anal Sex, Bad Weather, Explicit Consent, M/M, Multiple Orgasms, Oral Sex, POV Alternating, Park Ranger Sonny Carisi, Sex In A Cave, Sex Pollen, Unsafe Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:29:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27674044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahcakes613/pseuds/sarahcakes613
Summary: Rafael is hiking in a national forest when he twists his ankle. Park ranger Sonny rescues him but engine trouble and bad weather force them into a cave for safety.When their campfire proves to have more of an effect than just drying and warming them, Sonny and Rafael find themselves naked and desperate for each other.It's sex pollen, y'all.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 68
Collections: Barisi Professions Bingo





	Down upon these stones

**Author's Note:**

> As the tag says, there is explicit stated consent. That being said, sex pollen trope. So, this is the kind of thing where YMMV and if you consider sex pollen to be inherently dubcon, please go into this with caution.
> 
> The POVs alternate and I made absolutely zero effort to balance them, so section lengths will vary.

Rafael digs through his pack for the radio, muttering to himself as he rummages. He could be warm and wrapped up in bed in his camper van but no, he’d decided it was a good idea to push himself another mile. On a short but challenging trail, at an hour when most hikers have turned in for the night and at a time of year when the evening temperature drop begins to feel more staggering than subtle.

He tries to ignore the throbbing in his ankle. He’s already wrapped it and taken a painkiller, but walking on it is nearly impossible right now, at least until the swelling goes down.

His cold fingers finally grasp the antenna of the communication device and he tugs it out of his bag. He has the channel for the nearest ranger station already programmed, and he brings it close to his mouth as he makes his distress call.

“Am I reaching Hector Station? Over.”

There’s a crackle and then a voice comes through clearly.

“This is Ranger Mike at Hector Station, over.”

Rafael breathes a sigh of relief.

“This is Rafael Barba, I took a spill just past marker 9 and twisted my ankle. I’m not in need of immediate medical treatment but I could use an assist back to my camper. Over.”

“Hang tight, Rafael, someone’s coming your way now. Over.”

“Much obliged. Over.” Rafael sets the radio down and shifts so he is leaning against a large boulder. He hopes whoever is coming will be there soon, he doesn’t much care for the look of the clouds that are roiling overhead.

* * *

Sonny doesn’t know why he keeps getting the lost and injured hikers. Mike claims it’s because he has such a gentle demeanor, but Mike’s the one with a smile wider than the Grand Canyon. It’s probably got more to do with his superior officer wanting alone time with Nick, the third ranger stationed with them.

He slows the ATV down as he approaches mile marker 9. The sun is nearly fully down and out here that means it’s already close to pitch black. He grabs the CB and toggles it on.

“Come in, Rafael. Over.”

He idles the ATV as he waits.

“This is Rafael, over.”

“Rafael, this is Ranger Sonny. I’m coming up to marker 9. Do you have something you can wave, or a noisemaker? Over.”

There’s a pause and then Sonny hears a faint whistling. He drives slowly towards the noise until he sees a bobbing light just off the path.

He flicks off the engine and climbs down, grabbing his kit from the back. The hiker is sitting on the ground, back up against a large boulder, his arm resting on one pulled up leg and his other leg lying straight out in front of him. The leg that is stretched out is propped up on a backpack.

“Rafael?”

The man turns his flashlight, waving it just below Sonny’s line of vision. “You must be the cavalry.” He observes, his voice deep with fatigue.

Sonny kneels next to him. “Yeah, that’s me. Can I take a look at your ankle?”

Rafael nods, and Sonny carefully rolls his pant leg up. His boot is unlaced, and Rafael hisses through his teeth as Sonny gently works it off his foot.

He nods approvingly at the tensor wrap that Raf has wound around his ankle, and runs his fingers carefully around to check the level of swelling. It’s not as bad as it could be on the surface, which is a relief. They have rescue litters that can be hooked to the back of the four-wheeler, but it simplifies things if Rafael can sit up on the seat behind him.

He wiggles the shoe back on, wincing at the low whimper that slips out of Rafael’s mouth.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I can’t administer anything heavy until we’re back at the station, but I have extra-strength acetaminophen if you want.”

Rafael shakes his head as he leans over to loosely lace up the boot. “I took something about twenty minutes ago, just waiting for it to kick in.”

“Do you think you can stand, or do you need to wait a few more minutes?” He looks up at the sky as he asks. The clouds have begun to rumble ominously, and he’s pretty sure it will start raining before they get back to the station, but as long as they’re on the move they’ll be okay.

“I’d rather get it over with.” Rafael admits.

Sonny puts his arm out for Rafael to balance on and together they manage to get him upright. Getting him onto the ATV is awkward but he manages to swing his leg over, and he is able to keep it straight out, the inside of his thigh pressing against Sonny’s hip.

He revs the engine and sets off down the trail. The path is not wide enough to easily turn, but the trail loops and it is easier to just keep going until they circle back around to the ranger station and parking lot.

They are just past the halfway mile marker when the engine sputters and dies. Sonny runs through a quick diagnostic, but can’t figure out what the problem is.

He pulls out the CB, which is thankfully not also dead, and radios in to the station.

“Hector, this is Sonny, over.”

“This is Mike, go ahead. Over.”

“Runner’s down, we’re going to need a double rescue. Over.”

Sonny can picture Mike right now. He’s probably nudging Nick awake, who will ride out on the other four-wheeler with the trailer hitched up.

Just then, the clouds finally open, and they open hard.

“-onny? I’m not – the rain is – hunker down until – Over.”

Sonny swears as the radio crackles in and out, but he hears Mike’s instruction to find shelter. With the amount of rain and in the dark, it’s too dangerous to risk a second ranger getting thrown or losing control of his vehicle.

“Roger that, Mike. We’re near the cave system by mile 13. I’ll check in with Rafael’s CB when we’re settled. Over.”

He’s not sure how much of that Mike catches but they can’t stick around to wait. He slides off the vehicle and turns to Rafael.

“How’s the pain?” He calls out over the rain. Rafael’s hair is plastered to his forehead and he looks a bit like a drowned bear cub.

“Kind of hard to say,” Rafael yells. “On account of all I can feel right now is wet.”

Sonny laughs and then points off the trail. “We’re going to have to make for shelter, there’s a cave system nearby. Do you think you can walk?”

Rafael grimaces. “Have I got a choice?”

“Well, it’s either that or I wear you like a backpack.” Sonny shrugs. “I’m not sure one would be any quicker than the other.”

Rafael shakes his head, beads of water flying off. “I’ll walk.” He manages to tumble off the ATV and Sonny puts his arm around the shorter man as they step off the trail.

By the time they get to the entrance of the cave Sonny isn’t sure he even remembers what it feels like to be dry. The cave is large enough that they plenty of space to lie down. There is clear evidence of where previous hikers have built a small campfire and Sonny almost moans at the happy thought of a warm crackling fire.

He helps Rafael get situated and they inventory their packs to see what’s still usable. Thankfully, Rafael’s radio is in a waterproof pouch, and between them they have a few fire-lighting options. Rafael also has an entire box of granola bars and a bottle of water purification tablets.

There’s a 2-gallon jug back in the ATV trunk that Sonny can set up to collect rainwater, so they should be fine to bunk down until the rain lets up. The one good thing about rainstorms in these parts is they never last long.

“I’m going to try and find the least waterlogged bits of wood for kindling,” he says to Rafael. “Can you call into Hector and let them know we’re tucked?”

* * *

As Sonny ducks back out of the cave, Rafael does as asked, radioing in their status. The reception in the cave is as bad as out in the rain but he manages to connect and let the other rangers know where they are.

Other than a few essentials that were wrapped in plastic, most of Rafael’s pack is as soaked as he is, and he pokes mournfully at the swollen wad of paper that used to be a Tom Clancy novel.

The longer he sits on the cool dry stone, the chillier his wet clothes seem, and he begins to shiver, his body trembling as he waits for Sonny to return and build a fire.

With stiff fingers he manages to strip off his coat and sweater, leaving him in a t-shirt that is as soaked through as if it had been his only layer. He will remove that too, but wants to wait until the fire is going and he can expose his bare flesh to the warmth of the flames. He reaches down and unlaces his boots, tugging them off with a grunt. His socks peel off with a wet slap and he grimaces at the pale wrinkled skin of his feet.

The bandage around his ankle is wet too, but he decides to wait for Sonny to come back and help him with that. If they can manage to rig up a frame of some kind so it can hang by the fire, it will be as good as new and he can rewrap it once it’s dry. If anything, the cold seems to be acting in his favour on the swelling, it feels a lot less tender to the touch now.

Sonny returns with an armful of branches that he lets collapse into the small circle of stones that serves as a firepit. He’s drenched through, and he shakes his head wildly like a dog, hair flying and letting out drops of rain in every direction.

He hums when he notices Rafael’s half-stripped form. “Good idea,” he says, shucking off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt. His undershirt is clinging to him, pale skin showing through like fish belly. His boots and socks are next, and he takes both pairs of boots, upending them near the entrance of the cave so they can drain out.

Rafael watches as he sets about building the fire. He builds a small tipi-style fire and shoves smaller pieces of twig and bark in to act as kindling. The fire catches almost immediately and soon the cave is filled with the crackling sound of burning wood.

Sonny sits back on his haunches with a relieved sigh, then looks over to Rafael.

“You need help with the ankle?”

Rafael nods, and Sonny shuffles over to him, taking his foot and propping it up on his thigh as he unwraps the bandage.

The fire is roaring bright and big now, emitting an almost sweet-smelling smoke that tickles Rafael’s nostrils.

“What kind of wood is that?” He asks. “It doesn’t smell like any other campfire I’ve seen.”

“Hm? Oh,” Sonny looks up at him and then over at the fire. “I’m not sure. This forest has a lot of endemic plant species, so it might just be something native to the area that you haven’t come across. It’s nice, hey?” He inhales deeply and then laughs. “It makes me think of a spicy aftershave, that kind of gingery smell.”

Rafael sniffs. He doesn’t smell aftershave at all, but something warmer and sweeter, fresh-baked pastries, with an underlying tartness. It warms him from the inside, and he can feel his skin tingling as he warms up, his clothes drying but feeling tight against him.

The bandage comes off, but Sonny’s hands stay on Rafael’s ankle. His thumb strokes the skin almost mindlessly.

* * *

Sonny’s skin fizzes like freshly poured soda pop where his fingers make contact with Rafael’s skin. He chases the sensation and then pulls his hand away with a cough.

“It’s getting toasty in here, hey?” He says, rolling his shoulders back. He feels like the fire is simmering inside of him almost, his skin warm to the touch.

They are both dressed only in their pants and undershirts but the drying fabric of Sonny’s trousers is itchy and his hands reach for his belt, unbuckling and sliding them off with a sigh of relief.

When he looks back at Rafael, the other man’s eyes are glazed over slightly.

“Hey, whoa, you alright? You need some water?” He asks, leaning in to peer at Rafael’s pupils. They’re shot wide, but Rafael shakes his head.

“No, I’m fine, I’m – it’s just really warm in here.”

“Yeah,” Sonny agrees. “Come on, let’s get the rest of those wet clothes off of you, hey?”

It doesn’t occur to either of them that they are remarkably comfortable being nearly nude when they’ve only just met, and soon enough they are both sitting in front of the fire, Sonny in his shorts and undershirt, Rafael in a pair of briefs.

As Sonny inhales deeply again, letting the spicy aroma surround him, he realizes his skin still feels tight. Rafael feels it too, his hands rubbing along his forearms, nails dragging lightly to relieve the itch.

“It’s _really_ warm in here,” Rafael says.

Sonny watches his mouth move, his lower lip almost a pout, and he licks his own lips unconsciously. “Uh-huh,” he agrees faintly.

One of the branches in the fire snaps and falls, causing sparks to fly up. It snaps Sonny out of his distraction and he moves to rearrange the wood. There’s something about the wood that is tickling at the back of his mind, something about the smoke, but he can’t quite place it.

At least, until he looks back at Rafael and sees him staring unabashedly at Sonny’s ass while he kneels in front of the fire.

And then he remembers what he’s forgotten.

“Oh fuck,” he says, falling back away from the smoke. “I’m sorry, Rafael. Oh shit.”

“What?” Rafael says, looking frightened at the level of urgency in Sonny’s voice. “What is it?”

“It’s the smoke,” Sonny says. “The branches, they’re – it’s like I said, a native species, it’s not found anywhere else in the country. It doesn’t smell like ginger to you, right?”

Rafael shakes his head. “No, it smells like…something tart and sugary. Cherry pie, maybe. Sonny, what is it?”

Sonny rubs his hand over his face. “It’s amorlignum wood. The bark’s got aphrodisiacal qualities, and it’s most potent when it’s directly applied. Like through the smoke we’re breathing in right now.”

“Aphro – wait, are you saying we’re inhaling some kind of sex drug?”

Sonny nods his head shamefully. “Pretty much. You feel warm, right, like the fire is inside you? And tingly, all over?”

“Yes,” Rafael says slowly. “Except where you had your hand on my ankle. That felt like a cool balm, almost.”

“Yeah,” Sonny looks at him. “The itch is mildly relieved through skin-to-skin contact.”

Rafael looks steadily back at him. “What relieves it more than mildly?”

* * *

Sonny stares at him, shifting uncomfortably. Rafael can feel his cock throbbing in his shorts, burning hot and hard between his legs, and a brief look down reveals that Sonny is in a similar state.

It’s not like he’s never had to ignore a boner before, but the miserable look on Sonny’s face tells him that there’s more to this than unrelenting arousal.

“It’s not just that,” Sonny admits in a low voice. “Unless we put the fire out, it’s going to continue affecting us. And if we put the fire out, we risk exposure and hypothermia. The itching will get worse, until our skin feels as if we’re in the very flames.”

Rafael considers him. “Sonny, how do we relieve it?”

Sonny’s head hangs down and he looks up at Rafael through a curtain of thick eyelashes. “Studies have shown the best way out of the effect is through it. Ride out the sexual arousal to completion.”

He moves closer to Rafael, but far enough that he can’t reach out to him.

“Rafael, fuck. I’m really sorry.” Sonny looks like he’s near tears.

Rafael arches an eyebrow. “Is the prospect of having to have sex with me that bad?”

Sonny’s mouth falls open in a near perfect O of surprise. “No, I mean, not – but – we’re not –”

“We’re in the same boat,” Rafael says hoarsely. “So while we’re both still of sound enough mind to have this conversation, I’m going to explicitly state for the record, I’m consenting.”

The smoke is still blowing, and Rafael’s finding it hard to concentrate on anything but the way Sonny’s nipples look under the clinging fabric of the damply sheer undershirt, round and pink and tight. He forces his eyes away and up to Sonny’s face.

Sonny is staring at him, his mouth still open.

“Sonny?”

His voice shakes Sonny out of his amazed stupor. “Yes,” he almost shouts. “Yes, same. I consent.”

Rafael smiles at him. “Good. And if it helps, I’d almost certainly feel this way if we _weren’t_ being affected by a weird sex plant.”

“Same,” Sonny whispers, coming closer to him now.

He reaches out and toys with the hem of Sonny’s undershirt, pushing it up until Sonny raises his arms and together they tug it off. His hand trails up Sonny’s stomach. The pulsating heat inside him is starting to wash over him.

“Is there anything I should know?” He manages to ask, forcing himself to concentrate just a moment longer.

Sonny’s forehead wrinkles as he struggles to think through the fog of arousal, and then he shakes his head.

“Good.” Rafael says, and then he leans forward with a growl and latches on to Sonny’s nipple with his mouth.

* * *

Heat surrounds Sonny and he can’t stop the cry that spills out from his lips. Rafael’s mouth is hot and his tongue is rough, laving at his nipple like he’ll never get enough of it. The curls of his beard scrape against Sonny’s skin like a knife over curls of butter, and each swipe of his tongue stokes the fire inside Sonny.

Rafael shifts, kneeling in front of Sonny. He lifts his mouth just long enough to transfer over to the other side, attacking his other nipple with the same ferocity. Sonny whimpers, his hands moving to grasp at Rafael’s shoulders, his hair, anything to keep him from flying apart. Through the haze he catches sight of the loose bandage drying in front of the fire and remembers why it’s there.

“Wait, wait,” he gasps, “your foot.”

“Hmm?” Rafael pulls off of him with a pop, looking up with glassy eyes, the thinnest sliver of green still visible around his pupils.

“Your foot, you shouldn’t – ah – you shouldn’t put any pressure on it.” Sonny struggles to concentrate as Rafael kisses his chest, his shoulders, his collarbone. The man sucks hungrily on his neck and Sonny can feel his cock, already leaking precome, twitching in his shorts.

“I want you inside me,” Rafael murmurs against Sonny’s skin. “I want to feel every inch of you as you slam into me.”

Sonny whimpers again. He wants it too, wants to drive himself home inside the other man’s ass, wants to push himself so deep, Rafael will never forget his imprint.

Rafael pushes him back and scrambles to straddle him, their cocks finally making contact through their briefs. Sonny wears the softest modal briefs, but even that feels like sandpaper right now, and he reaches between them to shove them down, kicking them off. He removes Rafael’s as well, and the first touch of their bare cocks, that silky hot glide of slick skin, sends waves down Sonny’s spine and he arches his back as he rides the waves of pleasure.

That touch of skin is like cool running water over blistered feet, like finding the perfect patch of sun to stretch out in. It’s relief, temporarily, and Sonny wraps his hand around them both to prolong the contact.

* * *

Rafael can feel his ankle, a dim throbbing in the back of his mind that is omnipresent but not worthy of consideration until he is painfully reminded of it when he grinds against Sonny and finds himself thrown back with the force of Sonny’s thrust up.

He slides off and onto his back, pulling Sonny with him until the taller man is blanketing him, his arms brackets around Rafael’s shoulders.

The ground is firm and cool beneath him but he barely feels it.

“Please,” he begs, “Sonny, please.” The heat is building inside of him and it’s starting to hurt, starting to burn him up, and the touch of Sonny’s skin only fans the flames, doesn’t extinguish them.

Sonny puts his fingers against Rafael’s lips and he opens his mouth, sucking hungrily at the digits, soaking them with spit. He cries out when one spit-slick finger prods at his hole and pushes himself down, taking it inside him. He distantly hears himself beg for more but he can barely think, much less form coherent thoughts. His entire mind is a tunnel with one flickering light at the end and he pushes towards it with all of his might.

Rafael is generally a romantic soul, he likes making love, feeling his lovers moving against him slow and gentle. He doesn’t think he could bear slow right now, he needs to feel Sonny moving against him with purpose, fast and frantic and all-consuming.

“Sonny,” he pleas, “Sonny, I need it. I need you.”

“I’m here,” Sonny gasps out, his fingers withdrawing just long enough to position the head of his cock against Rafael’s rim. “I’m right – fuck – here.” He pushes in with a groan and Rafael groans too. Sonny is thick inside him, carving out a space for himself that will never be filled by another man.

Sonny’s hand comes down to Rafael’s leg, pushing it up and over his shoulder, his ankle elevated so it won’t bang against anything as they move. He keeps his hand wrapped around Rafael’s calf, his other hand bracing himself on the floor as he thrusts.

Every push in, every slow pull out, the flaming heat in Rafael sizzles, it spits oil and flickers in the wind as he rises up to meet Sonny, his hips bucking up as Sonny thrusts down.

* * *

Rafael is hot molten glass around his cock, he is a plush velvet grip, a silky smooth channel made only for Sonny.

The smoke curls around them and Sonny breaks, already coming, waves of spunk spurting out of him and coating Rafael’s insides.

Sonny pants over him, trying to catch his breath, but his cock still throbs, hasn’t softened. He knows it’s the smoke, knows the high dosage of their exposure means it will take longer to work out of their system, and he flexes his hips, causing his cock to twitch inside Rafael. He leans back, taking the other man with him until he is leaning back on his calves and Rafael is half in his lap, his shoulders and head still on the ground.

He wraps his hand around Rafael’s cock and jerks him hard and fast until he clenches down and comes with a cry, covering Sonny’s hand in white hot come that feels like cooling drops of salve on his skin.

As Rafael comes, he squeezes down, and Sonny dimly feels his own cock spurting again as it rides out a second wave of orgasm.

The urgency doesn’t abate, if anything it is amplified, the brief relief of coming subsumed by the need to feel it again, and Sonny gives in to it. He leans down, looming over Rafael, and kisses him. Their lips touch and mouths open, tongues sliding against each other. Rafael cries into Sonny’s mouth and Sonny swallows his need, fucking his mouth and his ass in tandem, thrusting his tongue and cock fast into the other man.

“More, I need more,” Rafael whimpers against his mouth.

Distantly, Sonny knows he needs to be mindful of Rafael’s leg, but he can no longer fully grasp why, his mind so overtaken with the singular focus of chasing pleasure and relief from the consuming heat that is eating him up.

He needs to go deeper, and he pulls out, Rafael crying as he pulls away. The brief moment they are not in physical contact is sheer burning agony and Sonny clutches at Rafael, flipping him over onto his stomach and pulling his hips back, burying himself in Rafael’s ass.

Rafael claws at the ground, choking out his words. “Yes, fuck, right – there – Sonny!”

Sonny is relentless, pounding into Rafael, his cock hitting Rafael’s prostate with every thrust. Rafael screams as he comes again, his voice turning hoarse as he shoves himself back against Sonny, his ass cheeks slapping against Sonny’s thighs.

* * *

He can barely feel the pain in his ankle right now, he is so focused on the searing ache in his core. Each orgasm relieves it only slightly before another wave sweeps over him. His cries are only stutters now, his throat dry and parched as he begs Sonny to keep going, to never stop.

Sonny flips him again and Rafael is lost in his eyes, stormy blue and black, glazed with lust.

“Rafael,” Sonny groans, his hips moving almost of their own volition at this point. “Rafael, fuck.”

“It’s not enough,” Rafael says weakly, and Sonny nods, burying his face in Rafael’s neck, sucking hard at the skin there, licking at the salt pooling in his collarbones.

He arches his back and grips Sonny’s head, grinding up against him, their hard cocks rubbing together. They’re both slick with come and there is almost no friction until Sonny shifts and Rafael’s cock rubs against his stomach, catching in the sparse hair there.

Sonny’s hand reaches between them and his fingers roll Rafael’s balls, still heavy and tight. He slithers down his body, wiggling so his shoulders are wedged under Rafael’s thighs. He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t tease or lick gently, but wraps his lips tightly around Rafael’s cock and moves his head down. He swallows it all, the tip nudging up against the back of his throat. He makes a wet guttural sound but doesn’t let up, swallowing again and again, the clench and release of the motion forcing it deeper until Rafael can almost see his cock throbbing in the pulse of Sonny’s throat.

There is no time for warnings, no time to tap Sonny on the shoulder before he is coming, his spunk shooting straight down Sonny’s throat. He doesn’t seem to mind, his own cock jerking and spraying the ground at just the sensation of Rafael finishing so deep inside him.

He swipes his hand over his cock and brings it up to Rafael’s mouth. Licking the sticky fingers. Rafael moans as his parched throat feels quenched, the taste of Sonny’s spend cooling the dry heat that has left his voice feeling so croaky.

Sonny falls back with a gasp and they both shiver at the loss of contact, but Rafael feels clearheaded enough that he understands it is necessary.

* * *

The fire is starting to flicker and gutter but over the crackle they can hear that the rain has stopped and with that, the temperature will rise again so that they might get through without needing to restoke the kindling if they do wind up having to sleep there all night.

“If the fire goes out, the smoke should clear pretty quickly,” Sonny says, his vocal chords husky from use. “We might have a chance of getting through this without fucking ourselves raw.”

Rafael looks at Sonny unblinkingly, the green of his eyes still barely visible around the blown pupils.

“That’s good,” he finally says. “I’m not sure I’ve come that many times in a row since college.”

His dick is still hard, jutting out from his body, flushed red despite the multiple orgasms. Sonny is considering crawling on his hands and knees and impaling himself on it – a thought he’s virtually never had, almost always preferring to top. He doesn’t know if it’s the amorlignum or Rafael himself that makes his hole tighten at the thought of sitting on that thick cock.

The CB radio hisses to life, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Sonny, this is Nick, do you copy? Over.”

He reaches for the radio. “Yeah Nick, I copy. Over.”

“How are you guys holding up? Over.”

Sonny looks at Rafael. He needs to reply and he knows he needs to tell Nick what happened, because they’re going to need to send out one of the arborists. A batch of amorlignum this close to the trail is dangerous and it will need to be uprooted and moved as soon as possible. He takes a deep breath. Even though Nick can’t see them, he knows his cheeks are flush with embarrassment.

“Well, I found an unmapped copse of lignum and may have built a fire with it, so. There’s that. Over.”

There’s no response for a solid agonizing minute.

“Sonny, this is Mike. Can you repeat? Over.”

He throws his head back, his eyes closed, and winces. “Do I have to? Over.”

Although thinning, the smoke is still blowing around the cave and Sonny shifts as the heat in his belly begins to overwhelm him again. One look at Rafael tells him he is feeling it too and he blinks as Rafael scoots towards him.

“Alright, hang tight. Nick’s pulling together a fresh kit for you and he’s going to drive out asap. Stand by, he should be there in twenty. Over.”

Sonny has to struggle to put together a coherent reply because he is too focused on the warmth surrounding his cock as Rafael sucks him down.

“Copy that – over.” He gasps and throws the radio down, his hands shooting out to grip Rafael’s head as he bucks up. Rafael relaxes his mouth and throat and lets Sonny control the speed, flicking his tongue around and fondling his balls as Sonny fucks his face.

He comes with a loud groan and it seems to go on for minutes, every swallowing clench of Rafael’s throat urging another pulse of come out of him. When he finally finishes, he hauls Rafael up to straddle his lap and shoves his tongue in his mouth, chasing his own taste as he frantically strokes Rafael’s cock to another orgasm.

They don’t have long before Nick will get there and even though the simmering tension hasn’t fully dissipated, he thinks- hopes – they can both manage to keep it together until he arrives and they can leave.

All of their clothes are dry, but the exposure to the smoke has infused them and they will need to be fumigated before they can be safely worn again. The same goes for the items in their packs, although the waterproof pouch seems to have saved the radio, and their boots should be safe too, having been drying near the entrance where the smoke was weakest.

* * *

Rafael takes his boots from Sonny, shoving one on and more carefully wiggling his injured foot into the other one. Although mostly dry, the boots are still damp enough that he wrinkles his nose at the squish of his insoles.

Sonny is standing by the entrance, his arm propped up on the wall over his head. Standing proudly naked with his hip cocked and the side profile, Rafael could be looking at a weird editorial campaign for hiking boots.

Rafael pushes himself up, leaning heavily against the wall as he makes his way around to the entrance. The painkillers have started to wear off and his ankle is starting to throb again.

Standing in the fresh air away from the dying fire, it’s startling how fast the fog clears from his mind. He chances a look over at Sonny, who is staring straight ahead blankly. It's strange to think how very little he knows about the man – in fact, he knows next to nothing.

“I meant what I said at the beginning, just so you know.”

Sonny blinks at him. “About what?”

“If we weren’t feeling compelled, you’d still be my type.”

The ranger smiles, although it’s a small thing that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I meant it when I said same.”

“But?”

Sonny sighs. “But what happened is my fault, and it shouldn’t have.”

Rafael reaches out, but lets his hand fall short when Sonny flinches. He wants to say something, wants to reassure the other man that he doesn’t hold Sonny responsible or blame him in any way, but for once in his adult life, he doesn’t have the words.

The dark of the forest is broken by two amber circles of light as their rescue drives up. A man about Sonny’s height approaches them, a large duffel in one hand.

He throws a bundle of fabric to Sonny, who catches it and shakes out a clean uniform, which he begins putting on.

“Hey, you must be Rafael. I’m Nick.” He lifts his hand in greeting but doesn’t hold it out, which is probably for the best.

Rafael nods. Nick holds up the duffel. “I’ve got clean clothes and bandages, which do you want first?”

“Pants, I think.” Rafael grimaces, and Nick laughs as he unzips the bag. He holds out a clean pair of forest service branded sweatpants and, even better, a pack of wet wipes.

Rafael turns around as he swipes the cooling cloths over his hands and then his groin and stomach, happy to be able to remove some of the sticky flaky spunk before pulling on the sweatpants. When he turns back around, Nick is holding a first aid kit. Rafael hobbles fully out of the cave and slumps down on a large rock while Nick snaps on a pair of latex gloves. He is clinical as he checks the swelling of the sprain.

“It looks like there might be some fresh contusions, but I don’t think the sprain’s any worse. Wouldn’t hurt to get it x-rayed when you get home, just to rule out a hairline fracture.” He wraps it tightly in a bandage and then covers it in a plastic bag before letting Rafael put his boot back on.

He gives Rafael a sweater that matches the pants and he zips it up halfway, still feeling warm enough that all of the terrycloth is making him sweat.

Sonny is over at the broken-down four-runner, transferring items from the trunk to the trailer of the new one. Nick walks slowly, going at Rafael’s pace, as they return to the vehicles. Nick looks like he’s full of questions, but he’s mercifully quiet.

The plan is for Nick to stay behind and work on the faulty engine while Sonny and Rafael return to the station, and Nick pulls his toolkit out of the trailer.

“It might be easier for you to ride in the trailer,” Sonny says, not looking at Rafael. “You can prop your leg up on the gallon jug instead of having to hold on to me.”

The trailer is low enough that Rafael can just lower himself and lean against the wall of it with his ankle propped up as suggested.

He nods thanks to Nick as Sonny revs up the ATV and they head down the trail.

* * *

They run into no further complications, and it’s not long before the building complex that is the ranger station comes into view.

Mike’s waiting outside despite the hour and he’s wearing his hat, which means he’s trying to come across as the man in charge. He almost never wears his hat unless dignitaries or USDA upper management is visiting.

He nods to Sonny as they pull up, and holds a hand out to Rafael. Rafael takes it warily.

“Rafael, I’m Mike Dodds, the captain of Hector Ranger Station. I’d like to formally apologize on behalf of the forestry service for what’s happened to you tonight.”

Sonny cringes, and Rafael shoots a look over at him.

“Thank you, captain.” He replies softly. “Although, as I’ve already expressed to Sonny, I do not hold him responsible. I’m prepared to sign any waivers or release forms you need to protect the station and Sonny.”

Mike raises his eyebrows at that. “Why don’t we all go inside. I’m going to have to insist you remain here until morning to ensure there are no lasting ill-effects, but you’ve got your choice of comfortable couches and we’ve got satellite internet.”

Rafael nods, and follows Mike up the ramp to the main entrance. Sonny lingers until he catches Mike staring at him and holding the door open pointedly.

“Come on,” Mike murmurs to Sonny once Rafael is situated with his leg up on one of the lounge sofas. He follows Mike into the kitchen.

“You think he means it?” Mike asks as he puts the kettle on, and Sonny knows what he’s asking.

“I think so, yeah,” Sonny looks down the hallway into the lounge. “He um. There was consent while we were still pretty self-aware, and he also kind of said. Well, he said he’d have been into me anyways?” He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

Mike rolls his eyes. “You know, when I said you’re the best for stranded hikers because you’re a soft touch, this isn't what I had in mind.”

They carry mugs of tea back into the lounge, where Rafael is asleep, a magazine open on his chest.

Sonny sets a mug down in case Rafael wakes up and then heads down to the rangers living quarters for a shower. As he rinses himself off he can feel the final tendrils of itchiness fade away. He doesn’t know what the light of morning will bring but he’s going to let Rafael set the tone.

While it’s certainly not his preferred method for meeting men, Sonny sort of hopes that Rafael remains interested. They’ve barely had a chance to talk and there’s every possibility they have nothing in common beyond sexual chemistry, but he’d like the chance to at least find out.

Rafael is still asleep when he heads back out of the shower. Nick’s not back yet, and Mike is watching a replay of a recent baseball game, the volume down low. He pats the seat next to him and Sonny joins up, swinging his feet up on the coffee table.

Mike laughs softly. “You know, I just thought of something funny. You really went above and beyond in carrying out our mission tonight.”

It takes Sonny a minute to remember what the Forestry Service's mission statement is. Caring for the Land and Serving People. Sonny almost chokes on his tea and shoots his superior officer a baleful look, then breaks into his own laugh. He’s not wrong.

**Author's Note:**

> This is shaping up to be quite the historic year for me in terms of writing classic smutty tropes for the first time. What will I tackle next?! Who knows?!


End file.
